The Harford Resource A Publication of the Harford Soil Conservation District

O C T O B E R 1 , 2 0 1 7 V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 3

U P C O M I N G

E V E N T S

A T - A - G L A N C E

Tuesday, October 17

9:00-11:00 AM Private Pesticide Applicator New Certification Training

Tuesday, October 17 1:00-3:00 PM

Pesticide Applicator

Recertification Training

Wednesday, October 18

Board of Supervisors Meeting

Wednesday, October 18

Envirothon Fall Workshop

Tuesday, October 24

9:00-11:00 AM Private Pesticide Applicator Exam for New Applicators

Wednesday, January 17,

2018 Farm Succession Planning

Workshop

2205 Commerce Road

Suite C

Forest Hill, MD 21050

(410) 838-6181, Ext. 3

www.harfordscd.org

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article...

Please contact the Editor,

Leslie Zink, at

leslie.zink@maryland.gov

The Harford Soil Conservation District and staff of the Maryland Department of Agriculture will be moving to a new location at Conowingo Road and Route 136. This move is tentatively scheduled for December, 2017; date to be determined.

Along with a new address we will also be getting a new phone number and Extensions for staff members. Check our website at www.harfordscd.org and our Facebook page for the latest updates.

PLEASE NOTE: USDA staff (NRCS and FSA) will remain at the 2205 Commerce Road, Suite C,

Forest Hill address, until further notice. This WILL affect all programs and your interaction

with our District. Thank you for your patience as we navigate this transition.

If you have any questions, please call us at (410) 838-6181, Ext. 3. or send us a message via

the “Contact Us” page at www.harfordscd.org.

Agriculture Best Management Practices Spotlight: COVER CROPS By Andrew League

Cover Crops provide ground cover, reduce erosion, suppress weeds, reduce insect pests and diseases, absorb excess fertilizer, reduce nutrient leaching and enrich soil with organic matter. Throughout agricultural history, farmers have taken advantage of the many benefits of using cover crops. During the Roman Empire, Greek and Roman farmers used legume cover crops to improve soil quality in their vineyards. In the late 1700s, lupines (a flowering nitrogen-fixing legume) were used throughout northern Europe to improve sandy soils. By the 1860s, cover crops were common practice in American agriculture and remained so until the 1950s. Cover cropping was largely abandoned by the late 1950s when conventional agriculture turned to synthetic fertilizers. Synthetic fertilizers are “Man made” inorganic compounds - usually derived from by-products of the petroleum industry. Examples are Ammonium Nitrate, Ammonium Phosphate, Superphosphate, and Potassium Sulfate. As these synthetic fertilizers became readily available and comparatively inexpensive, they replaced cover crops for enhancing soil fertility and significantly changed how cropland was managed. Many farmers today grew up with widespread use of fertilizers and herbicides and little or no understanding of cover crops. (Continued on Page 2)

P A G E 2

Agriculture Best Management Practices Spotlight: COVER CROPS…continued Grown to provide soil cover and prevent erosion, cover crops can be annual, biennial or perennial plants grown in a single or mixed stand during all or part of the year, including the non-growing season. Common cover crops include legumes (like cowpeas or clover), forage radish and cereal grains (like wheat, rye or barley).

Cover crops are used to vegetate (cover) bare soil when a main crop has been harvested, when there is a niche in a season’s crop rotation or when there is a need to interplant a cover crop with a cash crop. The Maryland Department of Agriculture’s Cover Crop Program began on the Eastern Shore in 1984 with studies of water and nutrient transport processes in Maryland’s Coastal Plain cropland. The purpose of the studies was to measure the movement of water and nutrients through surface and groundwater throughout the entire year. In the early 1980’s winter cover crops were not typically planted in Maryland so the study fields were left fallow (not planted) following fall harvest of a corn or soybean crop from 1984 through 1987. The results of this portion of the studies demonstrated that more than 80% of the nitrogen (in the form of nitrate-nitrogen) lost

from the fields was leached from the root zone during the fall and winter groundwater recharge period. During this same time period stream sampling of agriculturally dominated mid-Eastern Shore watersheds demonstrated that stream base flow nitrate concentrations could be 10 to 100 times greater than the base flow of nitrates from streams in forested watersheds. Stream base flow nitrates are the dominant component of annual nitrogen loads that are delivered to the Chesapeake Bay from Eastern Shore watersheds.

While some of the nitrogen losses can be attributed to the amount of nitrogen fertilizer that had been applied to the crop during the growing season, the majority of nitrogen losses were found to be from nitrates released in the soil late in the growing season after the corn crop had stopped using nitrogen in its lifecycle. Another significant finding from these studies was that rye planted after corn harvest could take up (utilize for growth) a major fraction of soil nitrate before the beginning of the late fall/winter groundwater recharge season, thereby greatly reducing the potential for nitrate leaching. In fact the research showed that by planting rye as a cover crop immediately after grain harvest there was an 80% reduction in nitrate leaching from the soil. That finding would prove to be instrumental in developing the current Maryland Department of Agricultural Cover Crop program because it allows scientists and researchers to quantify the amount of nitrogen that is prevented from entering the Chesapeake Bay Watershed and that amount of nutrient reduction can be attributed to the Agricultural Producers in the overall Chesapeake Bay Model.

In summary, Cover Crops Can: Absorb excess fertilizer (nutrients) that remain in the soil after a main crop has been harvested; Help reduce runoff and soil erosion; Enrich the soil with organic matter; Recycle minerals and nutrients in the soil to be used by the subsequent planted crop.

For more information on Cover Crops, contact Harford SCD or visit the Maryland Department of Agriculture at mda.maryland.gov and click on the “Conservation” tab in the Menu bar.

FALL CERTIFICATION HAPPENING NOW!

Farmers must certify their cover crop with the soil conservation district within one week of planting and no later than November 6, 2017. Kill down/suppression may take place between March 1 and June 1, 2018.

District staff will need to know the following information when certifying your cover crops: 1. Which fields were planted? 2. What was the previous crop? 3. What cover crop was planted? 4. What planting method was used? 5. What was the planting date? 6. Was manure applied and when?

7. Need original seed tags signed in BLUE ink!

Equine Etiquette By Yvonne Roe and Ross Peddicord P A G E 3

Should You Have a Horse Boarding License? Stables are required by state law to have a license from the Maryland Horse Industry Board (MHIB) if: they are a commercial stable that solicits business from the public; they own 1 or more horses; they operate one or more of the following horse establishments or provide the following services:

Commercial stable that is owned or leased by an operator Charges board for horses (for 1 or more horses) Provides riding lessons Rental stables and/or rents horses Equine rescues and sanctuaries Provides pony rides Provides Carriage rides and/or riding services Summer camps or clinics Therapeutic services

The penalty for not having a license could result in a minimum fine of $500!

However, there are exemptions: Thoroughbred, Standardbred and Steeplechase barns/farms/stables that breed, train, or rest Thoroughbreds and

Standardbreds dedicated to the horse racing industry need to refer to the Maryland Racing Commission concerning licensing for owners, trainers and jockeys.

Farms using horses for agricultural purposes such as working and cultivating the soil or herding livestock. Stables where the horses are so-called work horses, like Mounted Police Units.

What are the benefits of having a license? Besides avoiding a penalty there are other benefits to having a license. These include: becoming more attractive to potential clients who are looking for a reputable facility that is fully licensed with the State of Maryland and complies with state regulations; demonstrates the operation’s commitment to the humane treatment of horses and concern for the safety of their clients; you may be eligible for state cost-sharing programs to install best management practices for your horse operation.

About The Maryland Horse Industry Board (MHIB) organization: The MHIB office is located in Annapolis, inside the Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) headquarters and is both a private and public partnership. There is no government funding received, however, money is generated from the horse boarding license annual fees and from feed manufacturers donating 15¢ from every horse feed bag sold.

Functions of the MHIB include these valuable services: advocate a standard of care for the health and well being of horses; administer the inspection and licensing of horse stables; provide consultation to MDA; provide resources for Maryland horse owners; promote the horse industry and related industries; increase public awareness of Maryland’s equestrian activities and equine traditions; and offer grants for equine health research. For more information, please see: http://mda.maryland.gov/horseboard/Pages/initiatives.aspx.

Resource information produced by MHIB and free marketing of their operation and services provided are listed in the “Maryland Official Guide to Licensed Stables”, located at http://mda.maryland.gov/horseboard/Documents/mhib_guide_2012_optimized.pdf

For more information, contact: The Maryland Horse Industry Board, Maryland Department of Agriculture, 50 Harry S. Truman Parkway, Annapolis, MD 21401, 410-841-5798, Website: http://mda.maryland.gov/horseboard/Pages/regulations.aspx

Ross Peddicord is the Executive Director of the Maryland Horse Industry Board. You may reach him directly at ross.peddicord@maryland.gov.

P A G E 4

Open Burning in Harford County

It’s that time of year again. Harford County residents will soon be inundated with piles of fallen leaves and brush. Some residents will opt to dispose of this debris by burning. Do you know the

rules of open burning in Harford County and that you may actually need a permit to do so?

The following is information submitted by Joe DeLizia, licensed Environmental Health Specialist and Supervisor with the Bureau of Environmental Health, Harford County Health Department:

The Harford County Health Department, Environmental Health Division is delegated by the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) to issue burning permits. The Health Department receives applications to review and conducts site inspections to determine if an open burning permit may be issued.

Here are some things to consider: Materials are generally limited to brush. Logs in excess of 6 inches in diameter, trash, garbage, hazmats, scrap lumber, etc. are prohibited. Distance requirements are currently 500 yards from occupied dwellings and heavily travelled roadways. A minimum of 200 feet is required by the Forest Service from wooded areas. A separate permit is issued by Department of Natural Resources and attached to the Health Departments permit. Burning must not create a nuisance, health hazard or unsafe condition and

must be performed on clear days with no wind to allow smoke to rise and disperse.

Special permits are issued by the Health Department to the local Volunteer Fire Companies for fire training exercises. A demolition permit accompanies the burning permit, along with the fire company’s checklists and incident command chart. Burning permits are also issued for farm management, diseased crops, invasive species and forest clearing together with Department of Natural Resources.

It is important to note the period of June 1st – August 31st is a time when ground level ozone is generally at its worst because of humid, sunny summer conditions. The prohibition on open burning at this time helps improve air quality. The holder of a permit must notify Central Fire Headquarters at the beginning and end of each days burning activity. No Permits are required for recreation fires however; smoke must not create a nuisance.

To inquire further, or apply for an open burning permit, you may go online at HarfordCountyHealth.com or call (410) 877-2300.

Are you interested in conservation, soil science, watershed health, turf

management, agriculture, or agribusiness?

Tim Gerber, one of our Earth Team Volunteers, has served as an adjunct instructor at Harford Community College for the past five years. He teaches only

one course: Introduction to Soil Sciences (ENV 122). With this course you will

learn about the diversity of soils; how the differences in soils impact watersheds

and agriculture; soil health and much more.

Introduction to Soil Sciences is scheduled to be offered during the Spring 2018 semester, which begins on January 22, 2018.

Registration will be open for the semester in November, 2017.

Harford Soil Conservation District Hosts

the Student Conservation Leadership Council’s

Representative for Harford County

By Bryan Stancliff

P A G E 5

Student’s Corner

My name is Bryan Stancliff and I am a currently going into my junior year of high school at John Carroll. I am the 2017-2018 Harford County representative on the Student Conservation Leadership Council working through the Natural Resource Conservation Service. This opportunity was presented to me through the local Harford County Envirothon, a national competition which test students on their environmental knowledge.

This summer I worked with the Harford Soil Conservation District office, which allowed me to better grasp what conservation looks like in the real world. While in the office I engaged with all of the different facets of conservation that they are responsible for. One of my first experiences was going out to a farm that was in the beginning phases of a stream restoration project. While there, the Soil Conservation team worked along

with the farmer and identified different critical areas that needed restoration, as well as establishing a plan to best help the current environment.

I also had the opportunity to visit sites with existing Best Management Practices (BMP’s) to ensure that they were still working properly as intended. On several occasions I went with the Conservation Technicians and surveyed multiple stream crossings. We also visited ongoing construction sites to insure proper implementation of the BMP’s.

One of the more interesting trips offered was the Maryland Association of Soil Conservation District’s (MASCD) annual meeting in Ellicott City. Here I was able to meet and listen to many people who work in the field of conservation. Overall this experience was vastly informative and allowed me to better understand and participate in the field of conservation.

The Student Conservation Leadership Council is part of the Earth Team Volunteer Program of the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) and is an innovative program that seeks successful high school students interested in work experience in the natural resources. The program provides participants with experiential and educational opportunities in natural resource management and private lands conservation. It supports the Conservation Partnership’s commitment to youth engagement in agriculture and conservation issues.

For more information on this program please contact Nora De La Rosa at (443) 482-2907 or nora.delarosa@md.usda.gov

You may also visit https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/people/volunteers/

Bryan and Senior Conservation Technician, Eric Webberking, surveying a stream crossing.

Meet Frank Richardson… Vice Chairman, Harford Soil Conservation District

P A G E 6

Frank Sheppard Richardson was born and raised in Willards, Maryland,

which is between Ocean City and Salisbury on the lower shore. While in college, he worked summers for the Soil Conservation Service

surveying watershed projects. In 1971 he graduated from Delaware Valley College with a degree in agronomy and was assigned to Anne

Arundel County as a soil conservationist.

In 1972 Frank was assigned to Talbot County and became the District Conservationist in Easton. He was then transferred to

Harford County as District Conservationist in 1974. In 1976 Frank resigned from the Soil Conservation Service and went into partnership with Foardview Farms.

Frank became Vice President of Highland Survey Associates in 1988, where he is a Registered Professional Land Surveyor. He has served on the Harford County Soil Conservation District

Board since 1995, serving as Chairman from 1996 to 2005. At present, he serves as Vice Chair. He also serves on the State Soil Conservation Committee representing the central area of

Maryland. Recently he was elected to serve on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Soil Conservation Districts (NACD).

Harford County residents Ralph and Darlene Ball and Harford Soil Conservation District receive awards at the Maryland Association of Soil Conservation District’s (MASCD) annual meeting in August.

Ralph and Darlene with their granddaughter Natalie, and MASCD

President, Charles Rice.

Harford County’s

Ralph and Darlene Ball

Named

“Cooperator of the Year”

for the State

From left to right: Bill Tharpe, District Manager; Charles Rice, President,

MASCD; and Lee McDaniel, Chairman, Harford SCD Board of Supervisors.

Harford SCD

Wins 2nd Place for

MidAtlantic Farm Credit’s

Outstanding District Award

The Maryland Association of Soil Conservation Districts (MASCD) serves as the voice for Maryland's 24 soil and water conservation districts on state legislative issues. It also provides a forum for training, policy-making and the exchange of information at their annual and quarterly gatherings.

Meet Annette Ensor… Soil Conservationist with the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS)

To many Cooperators who work with the Harford Soil Conservation District,

Annette Ensor is a well-known and familiar face at the office, and in the field. After graduating

from North Harford High in 1986, Annette began working for Harford SCD as a Conservation

Technician Aide. Annette has a keen interest in agriculture and all things related to water,

plants, and wildlife. While helping with surveys on projects she quickly learned about

conservation. It wasn’t long before she advanced to a Conservation Technician, with

responsibility for her own projects in the field. In 1994, Annette began taking classes at

University of Maryland, College Park, with which she advanced to her current position as a

Soil Conservationist. In addition to her responsibilities as Soil Conservationist, she also acts as

the regional representative for the NRCS Earth Team Volunteer Program.

Although Annette has spent most of her career assigned to the Forest Hill office,

where she works along with her State and Local partners to deliver conservation assistance within Harford County,

over the years she has had temporary assignments in Cecil, Charles, Queen Anne’s, and Talbot counties. In 1996 she

spent seven weeks assigned to Allegany and Garrett counties following major flooding and the subsequent clean up.

Annette credits much of what she has learned and enjoyed about working with Soil Conservation to the many

Farmers and Cooperators she has worked with over the years. Annette resides in Fallston with her husband Eric. She

enjoys gardening in her high tunnel, hunting, fishing, and shotgun clay shooting.

P A G E 7

Since 1985, Earth Team volunteers have provided a valued source of talent and enthusiasm to the USDA/NRCS. Every day, these dedicated volunteers work with conservation professionals on private lands to improve soil quality, conserve water, improve air quality and enhance wildlife habitat.

Available to anyone 14 and older, the Earth Team provides a variety of opportunities: full or part-time; outdoor or indoor activities; and as an individual or part of a group. There is something for everyone.

For more information on the Earth Team Volunteer Program visit www.nrcs.usda.gov and type “Earth Team Volunteer Program” in the search bar or contact Annette Ensor at (410) 838 –6181, Ext. 3, to learn more about

opportunities as an Earth Team Volunteer.

The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) is a voluntary conservation program that helps

agricultural producers in a manner that promotes agricultural production and environmental quality as compatible

goals. Through EQIP, agricultural producers receive financial and technical assistance to implement structural and

management conservation practices that optimize environmental benefits on working agricultural land.

Maryland NRCS is now accepting applications for EQIP. Farmers can sign up for conservation programs

throughout the year, but funding selections are made at specific times. The fiscal year 2018 sign-up deadline is

December 15, 2017. All applications are competitive and are ranked

based on national, state, and locally identified resource priorities and

the overall benefit to the environment.

For more information on EQIP visit www.nrcs.usda.gov and type “EQIP” in the search bar or contact Harford SCD at

(410) 838 –6181, Ext. 3.

Harford Soil Conservation District

2205 Commerce Road, Suite C

Forest Hill, MD 21050

(410) 838-6181, Ext. 3

Find Us on the Web at www.harfordscd.org

Location: Harford County Extension Office, 2335 Rock Spring Road, Forest Hill, MD 21050

Location: Deer Creek Overlook, 6 Cherry Hill Road, Street, Maryland 21154

UPCOMING EVENTS

Tuesday, October 17 9:00-11:00 AM Private Pesticide Applicator New Certification Training

Tuesday, October 17 1:00-3:00 PM Pesticide Applicator Recertification Training

Tuesday, October 24 9:00-11:00 AM Private Pesticide Applicator Exam for New Applicators

Wednesday, January 17 Details Coming

Soon! Farm Succession Planning Workshop